COVID, Round Two
When your neighbors not only pick up your packages but bring “feel better” treats!
Well… here we go again.
I tested positive for COVID this morning.
I started feeling sick earlier this week, but honestly I was in denial. I had COVID for the first time back in November, and between that and getting a booster shot in the fall, I figured the chances of catching it again so soon were pretty slim. I convinced myself it was just a cold and kept pushing through.
Boy, was I wrong.
The thing that finally clued me in was the unmistakable feeling that my head was caught in a vise. If you’ve had COVID before, you might know the exact headache I’m talking about. That was the moment I decided to take an at-home test.
The result? Immediate.
No waiting fifteen minutes for confirmation. The test line popped up right away like it was saying, “Yep, it’s COVID.”
While I’m feeling pretty lousy, so far it’s not quite as bad as my first round back in November. And as uncomfortable as I feel right now, I’m also very aware of how fortunate I am.
I have health insurance. It’s expensive — about $800 a month — but I have it. That means I’ll be heading to urgent care this afternoon to get checked out and hopefully get a prescription for Paxlovid.
I’m also fortunate that most of the work I do can be done from home. I may need to pause or scale back a few projects for the next several days depending on how I feel, but I’m hoping to keep things moving as best I can.
My plan is to continue updating Congress Heights on the Rise daily, though we’ll see how that goes depending on how the next few days unfold.
One thing this experience has reminded me of is how important it is to have a village.
I am incredibly lucky to have the best neighbors who have been taking such good care of me. They’ve been picking up packages, grabbing medications, and even helping with groceries. It’s such a small thing in some ways, but when you’re sick and stuck at home, it means everything.
No matter where you live, it’s good to have a village. Even if that village happens to be in an apartment building.
If there’s anything I’d encourage folks to do right now, it’s to get the updated 2025–2026 COVID vaccine and seriously consider wearing a mask in crowded indoor spaces.
After my first bout with COVID in November, I told myself I was going to start masking more regularly again. But like a lot of people, I got comfortable once I felt better and didn’t follow through. After this second round, I think I’ll be making a much stronger effort to do so.
What worries me most isn’t recovering from this infection. It’s the possibility of long COVID.
I have a friend who has been struggling with long COVID. While dealing with it, she slipped in the shower and suffered a traumatic brain injury that has completely changed her life. It’s a sobering reminder of how quickly things can shift and how many things we take for granted every day.
So for now, I’ll be resting, hydrating, and doing my best to get through the next several days.
In the meantime, take care of yourselves and each other.
Be well.